


SGN: Pre-Bond

by Phantoms_Echo



Series: Sentinel&Guide Universe [6]
Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Alternate Universe - Sentinels & Guides, Alternate Universe - Sentinels and Guides Are Known, Comedy, Conan's lame excuses, Drama, Guide!Hakuba, Guide!Kaito, Hakuba warned him, Hattori lost his accent half-way through, Kaito is feeling the burn, M/M, Sentinel!Conan, Sentinel!Hattori, Sentinel/Guide, The Time Frame's moved up, The burn means it's working, Weird dreams
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-09
Updated: 2017-10-09
Packaged: 2019-01-15 09:44:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12318507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phantoms_Echo/pseuds/Phantoms_Echo
Summary: “Good,” she sat back with a prim huff. “So? How was it?”“How was what?” Conan asked, reaching for his soda.“Your steamy night in with the famous gentleman thief?” Haibara asked right as Conan took a sip.Conan choked, half-spitting, half-snorting out his drink. The fizz burned.“Ew! Conan!”“I don't think that’s how you’re supposed to drink soda, Conan-kun.”





	SGN: Pre-Bond

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Detective Conan or Magic Kaito, only the idea for this fic.
> 
> PS:
> 
> I would say something like ‘sorry for the late update’ or ‘I was busy last week’, but…  
> …  
> *sigh*  
> Honestly? I wasn’t sure I was going to even post this update. The reason is petty and absurd, but I was seriously considering not posting this for another *month* even though I’d originally wanted to do it Saturday. 
> 
> Look, guys, I put a limit on comments for a reason.
> 
> If you want to say ‘Good job’, a kudo is basically that.  
> If you want to wax poetic about my works, hey, I’m flattered. I’ll read it and keep it in my inbox to reread.  
> If you have questions, I’ll answer them.  
> If you have *legitimate* criticism, even if it’s just spelling or grammar, I do my best to understand what it is I did wrong or that confused you so I can prevent it the next time I write.
> 
> However, two comments that DON’T follow any of the above are: “Update Soon” and “Make it Longer”.
> 
> Last week, I was excited to post this, planning on a Saturday post. I had everything written and ready –and then I got a comment that said “please update soon”. That’s it. No “this is what you did good” or “this is what you did bad”. The comment is *quite literally* USELESS to me. In fact, it makes me want to do the COMPLETE OPPOSITE of what it asked.
> 
> A few weeks back, I got another that’s only complaint was “write longer chapters”. This is also USELESS to me, as a writer.  
> As a reader myself, I understand the need to read more of a story and the desire for a particular story to never end. I understand it, but I never ask the authors to write more than they are able or willing to.  
> I understand as an *author*, that stories and inspiration come and go, that sometimes, I *don’t* have a lot of time to write. There is a life outside of writing for you, despite what some of you may think.
> 
> I don’t write this to be mean or spiteful. I only received *one* comment like this, but I want to nip this in the bud before that becomes *every* comment I receive. I have a goal for each chapter: 2000 words (roughly 5-6 pages with my writing style). Sometimes I meet it, sometimes I go over, and sometimes I fall short. I still determine *where* I want to end a chapter by what *occurs* in said chapter. Asking me to write more will not encourage me to do so.
> 
> Both of these comments: “Update soon” and “Write longer” are demeaning to me and, again, make me want to do the OPPOSITE of what they demand. Both can be summed up by a KUDO instead of wasting time writing a comment. PLEASE *just* leave a Kudo if you feel the need to write *either* of those as a comment.
> 
> I apologize to those of you who are actually writing good, meaningful comments, but I had to get this off my chest. I am posting this chapter for *you* who actually read my Author’s Notes and have fashioned your comments to help me be a better writer. I believe you deserve to not be punished because two comments got under my skin when, at any other time, I could ignore them or brush them off with ease.
> 
> Sorry for the long rant. Please enjoy the story!

“You could have _called me_ , you know!” Haibara hissed at Conan once the kids were adequately distracted. KID had dropped him off at Agasa’s place where Conan had promptly told Haibara and Agasa about his little white lie. They’d had to invite the kids over, then promise an _actual_ sleepover that night, to which Conan needed more clothes and couldn't be wearing the same thing as yesterday and-!

It had all become a _mess_.

Eventually he’d figured everything out, but he decided to come up with a better excuse next time. It just wasn't worth the effort.

Now that the kids were pleased, Haibara had turned her wrath on Conan. Or maybe it was worry? The two were scarily similar where Haibara was concerned.

“I’m sorry!” Conan hissed back. “I meant to, honest! But KID showed up and I hitched a ride and-! A lot of things happened!”

“You called _Mouri-san_ to let her know you were safe,” Haibara crossed her arms and, ouch. She had him there.

“I promise that, next time I hitch a ride with an internationally wanted thief to get away from an underground criminal organization, I’ll _call_ to tell you 'good night’.”

“Good,” she sat back with a prim huff. “So? How was it?”

“How was what?” Conan asked, reaching for his soda.

“Your steamy night in with the famous gentleman thief?” Haibara asked right as Conan took a sip.

Conan choked, half-spitting, half-snorting out his drink. The fizz _burned_.

“Ew! Conan!”

“I don't think that’s how you’re supposed to drink soda, Conan-kun.”

“But that was _awesome_!”

Conan waved off the Shounen Tantei and leveled Haibara with a glare.

“Nothing. Happened.” He ground out, even as his cheeks flushed with the reminder of how he’d woken up. Safely ensconced in warm arms, ear to a steady heartbeat that he _swore_ he could still hear, the thick scent of cocoa, chemical smoke and _moonlight_ -!

No, stop that! He was _not_ thinking about that! Nope! Nuh-uh! Not happening!

...maybe later when he wasn't surrounded by impressionable children (and Haibara).

“Mmm-hmmm, a whole lot of 'nothing’,” she raised an eyebrow as his blush deepened. “By the way, I'm not the only one you forgot to call.”

“Hah?” Conan took a careful sip of soda, not wanting to be surprised again. “Who else is there?”

At that moment, his phone rang. His Shinichi phone.

“ _That_ would be them,” Haibara said as she slid off the couch to join Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko. “I’ll keep the kids busy while you talk.”

“Why would you need to…?” And then Conan saw the name. Yeah, Haibara had the right idea.

“Hello?” Conan answered his phone.

_“What’s this I hear ‘bout you disappearin’ on ‘Nee-chan?!”_

“Hello to you too, Hattori,” Conan said after his ears had stopped ringing.

 _“Cut it with th’pleasant crap! ‘Nee-chan called me last night seein’ if I knew where you went!”_ the snarl from Hattori’s end was audible. _“I’m in Osaka!”_

“And yet not two weeks ago, you had to come to Tokyo to kidnap me and take me to a case,” Conan pointed out with a somewhat vicious glee.

 _“Not th’point!”_ Hattori didn’t sound the least bit guilty, though his anger had cooled _, “I know that y’sometimes hafta do stuff away from ‘Nee-chan, but th’least you can do is ring me up and let me know that I’m playin’ interference for ya.”_

“It was… an unexpected disappearance,” Conan said quietly, shooting Haibara a look out of the corner of his eye. She had the children well in hand, but he didn’t doubt for a second she was listening in.

 _“... was it them?”_ Hattori sounded on edge _, “Kudou! Please tell me y’didn’t do somethin’ stupid like try t’face ‘em on your own!”_

“I just wanted to know if it was them!”

“ _And?”_

“... It was. Gin and Vodka,” Conan confirmed, then hurried to talk over Hattori’s outraged reply, “I got away! Don’t worry! The alley was dark. They didn’t see my face. I only recognized them because I knew what I was looking for.”

 _“Other than bein’ plain suicidal, I guess that’s a good thing,”_ Hattori begrudgingly agreed _, “How’d you get away?”_

“Oh, I found KID and caught a ride with him,” Conan said bluntly, looking over when Ayumi squealed. The professor had given out some new gadgets; the kids clambering to use them.

On the other end of the line, Hattori sputtered _, “Why did you-?! Why would that be any better?! You went with another criminal! An internationally wanted thief –you know his identity! You shouldn’t be telling me any of this!”_

“You deduced most of that yourself. Besides, we both know KID is the lesser of two evils in this case,” Conan paused, reassessing Hattori’s words. He narrowed his eyes on some invisible person, “Why shouldn’t I be telling you this?”

There was a long pause followed by a sigh _, “I wasn’t callin’ just t’check up on you. There’s… somethin’ else.”_

Conan stayed quiet, waiting.

 _“I went to the doctor last Wednesday,”_ Hattori said cautiously _, “Senes-3 isn’t working anymore. My time frame’s moved up.”_

Conan’s breath caught in his throat. With Senes-3 not working, Hattori’s senses would act up. That would mean he needed a Guide. A Guide would mean…

A bond.

Someone else in Hattori’s head.

 _“I’m on Senes-2 fer now, but I don’t have much longer until I need a Rank A Guide –permanently. You know how bonds are,”_ Conan could hear Hattori’s wince across the line _, “I might be able to buy some time. My resistance to Senes-5 might have gone down enough for me to use it for a month or so. And I could switch between it and 4, then 3 after a while with 2.”_

“How long do you have?” Conan asked carefully. He needed to keep his condition and the Black Organization under wraps as much as possible, but…

Not at Hattori’s expense.

 _“If I’m lucky? A month on Senes-2,”_ Hattori answered gravely, _“Another month if I switch between the others. But… if I go to the Center…”_

If he stayed at the Center, he’d have infinite time. The Guides and doctors on hand would be able to keep a single teen Sentinel corralled… but at a cost.

Hattori would have to stay there.

That meant no school, no cases, no breaks –he couldn’t even go home. His entire life would be on pause. Until a Guide was found, Hattori would essentially be under house arrest in what amounted to a hospital bed. He would ruin his life for Conan, and Conan…

Conan couldn’t do that to him.

“One month,” Conan said quietly, “Give me one month and you can bond with Kazuha.”

 _“That’s… another thing,”_ Hattori sounded a strange mix of relieved and tentative _, “I broke it off with Kazuha.”_

That… was unexpected.

“ _She… we wouldn’t be able to bond_ ,” he sounded as if the words physically pained him, “ _I couldn’t… I couldn’t do that to her. I had to…!_ ” he cut off sharply, a strangled sound making its way through.

“I understand,” Conan said softly, because he _did_ , “Do you have someone else in mind?”

A long pause, Hattori pulling himself back together, then _, “I… yeah. Hakuba offered. I think he did anyway.”_

“Hakuba?” Curious. Conan was 90% sure the two teens hated each other –or at the very least had a very, very healthy rivalry.

 _“He’s the one that talked me down at the murder two weeks ago,”_ Hattori noted _, “He said Senes wasn’t healthy, but he’s also the one to convince me to let Kazuha go.”_

“Well, he’s not a bad guy at least-!” Conan cut off at an indignant cry on the other side of the line.

_“So it’s this Hakuba chick, hah?! She’s the one that told you not to bond with me!? It’s not doctor’s orders at all, is it!?”_

_“Kazuha!”_

_“Where’s this girl live? Huh?! I’ll rough her up real good!”_

_“Kazuha, wait! It’s not-!”_ Hattori yelled into the phone _, “I’ll call you back later, Kudou!”_

The line went dead.

Conan stared at the phone, a bemused laugh bubbling up his throat.

Would those two be okay?

*             *             *             *             *

The night after his night with KID, Conan dreamed he was walking down a street. Just walking, nothing too unusual. It was just the street in front of the Mouri Detective Agency, something he’d walked millions of times. He didn’t exactly know where he was going, but that was fine. No one was chasing him, no one was lying in wait -everything was peaceful.

Between one breath and the next, something intruded on his peace.

A white dove landed in a heap on the sidewalk a ways in front of him. Its feathers were ruffled and messy, though it didn’t appear hurt at all, just frazzled. As he neared, the dove shook itself and tried to take off again, but it just ended up cartwheeling over itself.

Suddenly upon it, Conan reached out with soft hands and gathered it up. At first, the dove seemed to panic, but Conan soothed it with a few words and gentle strokes. He gently righted a few feathers, evened out the primaries and cleaned off a few specks of dirt from the topcoat. The dove sat peacefully throughout the process.

When he was finished, Conan set the dove carefully on the ground again, gave its head a one-fingered stroke, then watched as it took to the skies, white wings stark against the twilight sky.

He didn’t remember his dream in the morning.

*             *             *             *             *

Kaito didn’t _want_ to be in school. He was groggy and achy and he really just wanted to go back to bed. Unfortunately, the thermometer read normal temperature and his snot came out clear, so he couldn’t claim being ill. Two painkillers later and he was off to school.

The aches weren’t the only reason he didn’t want to be in school though. The other reason was-!

“Kuroba-kun, are you all right?”

...Hakuba.

With his aching body, Kaito’s mental shields weren’t as strong today. He didn’t want to risk the detective getting inside his head and finding… _things_ Kaito didn’t want found.

“I’m fine, Hakuba,” Kaito groaned from his desk top. The students around him were giving Kaito concerned looks –more so when he didn’t even _attempt_ a panty-shot from Aoko. Kaito just… wasn’t feeling it today.

“You don’t _look_ fine,” Hakuba frowned, “You’re listless and pale and your bags have bags. You look like you haven’t slept in _days_. To echo your words from last week…” Hakuba cut off, mouth falling open.

Kaito rolled his head to the side just in time to catch Hakuba’s expression going from concerned to enraged.

“Kuroba!” he started far more loudly than intended if his wince was anything to go by. He continued far more quietly, but no less affronted, “All those questions from the last three weeks –don’t tell me you were researching how to _Guide_?!”

“What’s it matter?” Kaito asked, unable to get his brain to come up with a good misdirection. He’d have to work on that. He should be able to misdirect no matter _how bad_ he was feeling.

“What’s it ma-?!” Hakuba cut off sharply and inhaled a deep, calming breath. When he let it out, he had regained his composure and concern for Kaito’s well-being, “At least tell me it was someone of equal rank to you.”

“Of course.” And it was true -in both senses. Kaito was Rank A, Tantei-Kudou was Level 5. Hakuba saw Kaito as Rank E and Tan-Kudou had only had one sense active -smell. “I’m not stupid, you know.”

“Stupid, no. Self-sacrificing and stubborn, yes,” Hakuba frowned, “I did warn you about the pre-bond, yes?”

“Yeah, but what was I supposed to do?” Kaito asked, “Let him suffer?”

Hakuba knew as well as Kaito a Guide was completely unable to resist a Sentinel in need, just like a Sentinel couldn’t resist a Guide. Kaito’s thoughts backtracked to his and Tantei-kun’s wild city chase only three weeks ago. He’s sure Tan-Kudou regretted helping him now, but Kaito liked to think it was more than just instinct.

After all, the boy had sought Kaito out when _he’d_ been in danger, right?

“Besides,” Kaito shook himself from his thoughts, “It’s not as bad as it was yesterday. I slept the entire day away. Glad I finished my homework early.”

“Sleeping?” Hakuba groaned, “I can hardly ever sleep during a pre-bond back-lash. And you don’t look like it had any effect.”

Kaito shrugged, “Maybe each Guide is different?”

“Maybe.” Hakuba trailed off with a note of curiosity in his voice. He could be curious all he wanted so long as he let Kaito sleep through class.

He did.

*             *             *             *             *

Worried as she was, Aoko ended up following Kaito home to his house, bypassing hers altogether.

“I’m fine, Aoko,” Kaito whined as she opened the door for him, “I just _look_ bad.”

“And you’re feeling bad too! Aoko knows so!” she retorted, ushering him inside, “You didn’t interrupt class once! You slept through it! Kaito doesn't sleep through class! Something’s wrong with Kaito…”

“I’m just tired,” Kaito defended with a yawn. Not a lie. “I was practicing this really cool trick all weekend.”

Again, not a lie. His guide nature was, technically, a ‘cool trick’.

“Aoko doesn’t believe Kaito, but she won’t ask.” Aoko put her hands on her hips. “Instead, Aoko’s going to fix dinner and feed Kaito’s birds while Kaito rests.”

Kaito would argue, he _would_ , but the idea of sleep was far too tempting so he grumbled some kind of agreement and left her to it. His bed was cold when he crawled into it, but he knew that would change after a while. Indeed, as he drifted off, the covers warmed with him until the temperature was _just_ right and he was off to dreamland.

A hand on his shoulder shook him awake _far_ too early.

“Kaito, wake up. Dinner will get cold.”

Dinner? Shouldn’t it be breakfast?

Then the events of school caught up with him and Kaito gave a mental cheer. He could sleep another eight hours after dinner. So thinking, he stumbled out of his bed, still in his uniform from earlier that day. His shirt and pants had creased so much that there was no way he could iron them out. They’d have to go in the wash.

Dinner was a quiet affair, Kaito mechanically shoving food into his mouth; Aoko shooting him concerned looks.

“Did you feed my birds already?” he asked, partly to assuage her concern for him, partly because he hated the silence (always had).

“Yes! Aoko did!” Aoko answered, face brightening a bit.

“Did you count them?” he gave her a knowing smirk, “Make sure they were all there?”

Aoko pouted, “Aoko only counted twenty-five.”

“The window wasn’t left open, right?” he asked, just to make sure.

“No,” her pout increased.

Kaito laughed.

It was a long running joke between them. Kaito had twenty-six doves that he cared for and used in his magic tricks. However, Aoko could never count more than twenty-five in his aviary at any given time, even if Kaito had just counted himself. She always seemed to lose track of one tricky dove (Kaito was guessing Lucky).

So, the fact that she counted twenty-five wasn’t as panic-inducing as it should be.

(Kaito would still double check, but the window had been closed so…)

Their brief back-and-forth seemed to ease Aoko’s concerns, so Kaito finished up quickly and took care of his dishes and hers despite her protests. She had cooked, so he cleaned. It was only fair.

She still ended up drying for him, but it was a compromise he didn’t mind. With the plates back in the cupboard and the utensils in their drawer, Kaito waved her off at his door. She made him promise to get a goodnight’s sleep before she finally left his doorstep for the night. He locked his front door and made his way upstairs.

A quick look in the aviary, Kaito grinned at his little babies, all tucked in for the night. The window was closed and the feed in their troughs half-gone. Twenty-five little heads tucked under their wings.

Wait, twenty-five?

Kaito recounted, but now, the number stayed the same.

But he’d counted right after Tantei-kun left, only two days ago. Kaito hadn’t opened the window since then, so they couldn’t have gotten out. And who had…?

Lucky.

Kaito felt his heart sink.

Lucky had been his oldest bird, the first he’d gotten after his father’s death. It was like a part of him was gone with Lucky missing, but there was nothing Kaito could do.

The sun was setting, so Lucky would be resting for the night. It made no sense for Kaito to go out looking now. Who knows? Maybe he’d wake up to a dove on his windowsill the next morning, waiting to be let in. Kaito could only hope.

Despite his worries, when Kaito’s head hit the pillow, he fell into a deep, blissful sleep, dead to the world.

*             *             *             *             *

Kaito’s dreams that night were not pleasant. Not at first, anyway. It was night, the lights of Tokyo bright enough to drown out the stars, though the gibbous moon showed plainly in the sky. If it hadn’t been for the tiny sliver of moonlight missing, Kaito would have thought he was on a heist.

The ground was miles below him, the people like ants to his eyes. A gaze fell on his shoulders, causing him to stiffen, then relax.

A night like this? Atop a skyscraper? A nearly full moon in the sky?

His intruder could be none-other than Tantei-kun.

But when he turned to greet the child, Tantei-kun wasn’t there. No one was.

Then… where was that gaze coming from? Whose eyes had him in their sights?

A glint, a gleam of reflected moonlight off huge, staring eyes.

Kaito flinched back, brushing up against the low railing surrounding the roof. The eyes didn’t move, but something else did.

“ _Caw_!” a crow shouted in his ear. Kaito cringed away, forward, then back as another dove at his face. Two turned to three turned to twenty turned to Kaito didn’t know how many. He batted them away as best he could, but they were pushing him against the rail, then _through_ it as the metal railing disappeared. That’s okay, he could just use his…

He didn’t have his hang glider.

He wasn’t wearing his KID suit. He didn’t have his card gun and -after checking his pockets –none of his usual bag of tricks either. He was defenseless.

The pack of crows pushed closer, beaks in gleeful grins as their sharp talons gouged at his skin.

No, what do you call a group of crows? A herd? A flock?

...A murder.

Kaito was going to be murdered.

Just as that thought formed, the staring eyes in the darkness took flight. A silent swoop and the crows scattered, fearful cawing filling the night air. Another swoop and the crows dispersed, fleeing the shadow. The shadow plucked a crow from the air as it tried to flee and landed not three feet from Kaito.

The gnashing of bones and abrupt silence broke Kaito from his trance. The shadow… looked to be _eating_ the crow, pinned to the rooftop by a hooked toe. Which, okay, Kaito knew that crows were prey to other animals and yes, he didn’t feel too broken up over a crow that had tried to _kill him_ , but still… _gross_.

Now that he wasn’t being bombarded by crows, Kaito took a step from the ledge, not feeling near as comfortable without his hang glider.

Those glowing eyes turned 180 degrees and _that_ was creepy. Kaito stopped in his tracks, not wanting to be attacked _again_.

The eyes blinked at him, scooped up the rest of the crow, swallowed it _whole_ , and looked back at Kaito. Kaito held his breath.

The thing took two steps forward, lightening as if leaving the shadows, and Kaito wasn’t afraid. Pale moonlight danced upon patterned wings, sleek feathers, and clawed toed, but Kaito wasn’t afraid. Those staring eyes seemed even bigger from behind a plumed mask, but Kaito was not afraid.

The bird cocked its head 90 degrees.

Kaito might be a little afraid.

The bird took flight.

Kaito let out a startled yelp and shielded his face with his arms.

Talons clasped the meat of his right forearm like gentle fingers. Wings brushed past his hair like a summer breeze as the bird steadied itself on its perch. Peeking upwards, Kaito stared with wide eyes at the majestic beast.

The bird ( _Northern white-faced owl_ , Kaito’s mind whispered) stared back, eyes roving Kaito’s face.

Tentatively, he stretched his fingers out, brushing them softly down the bird’s chest.

The owl puffed up its feathers, preening under his touch, before taking flight again, sailing off into the moonlight.

Kaito woke up refreshed and ache-free, no memories lingering of the strange dream he’d had other than wide searching eyes.

**Author's Note:**

> For those of you who don't know, the Northern white-faced owl ‘transforms’ when it comes face to face with a predator. It's pretty neat. I suggest googling it and watching the Youtube video. :)
> 
> Also, I'm starting to run out of ideas for this universe. I have the Bonding planned for our two couples, but I'm not sure what to put in-between. Any ideas or episodes you guys would like to see re-imagined?
> 
>  
> 
> If you want to say "Good Job!" or "Update soon!" or "Write more!", please leave a Kudo (or a Kaito. The Kudos need someone to chase.)
> 
> If you have some constructive criticism for me, please leave a comment below. I am constantly trying to improve my skills as a writer, so any advice will help. :)
> 
> Again, sorry about the rant at the beginning. Hope the chapter made up for it?


End file.
